Can an 11 month old hen.....

[akcharlie1960]

....go broody with no rooster in the flock. I have a barred rock that takes an hour and a half sometimes to lay an egg. Yesterday I sat just outside the nestbox watching and she would reach out and pull in choice pieces of straw and tuck them under her but no breast feather plucking. Could she be going broody or just likes to take her time? I'm thinking about putting in a magazine rack for her.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Doubtful. She is just a good nester. Most hens like to do a little straw moving as part of their habit, especially if they are not rushed and she is one of those who will not be rushed. She likes to meditate and take her time.

Yes, hens can get the sense of going broody without a rooster, but of course, they are wasting their time.